The Common Bees of California: Including Bees of the Western United States    by Gretchen LeBuhn & Noel Badges Pugh Order:  USA  Can University of California, 2013 (2013) Softcover      Reviewed by Bob Walch If you are interested in bees or rely on them to make your garden thrive this illustrated natural history guidebook is a must read. You'll discover Gretchen LeBuhn offers an excellent overview of native and honey bee biology and provides the tools you'll need for identifying the most common bees of California and the Western United States. To make bee identification easy Noel Pug has created full color illustrations of over thirty genera of native bees. Each entry features a description of each bee, plus there's detailed material on food resources, nests, the flight season, similar looking insects and the bee's range. There's lots of practical information here on how to attract bees as well. For example, planting a diverse selection of flowering plants that bloom throughout the year will support a more diverse bee population. Also remember that native plants will attract more native bee pollinators than exotic flowers. A varied selection of colors and plant shapes is a good idea as is arranging flowers in clusters. Bees are important in maintaining a healthy ecosystem. It is to everyone's benefit to make sure that bee populations are nurtured and protected. As their existence is threatened by pesticides, climate change and a host of other problems it is important that we try to understand these insects and do what is necessary to make sure that they survive. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more NonFiction books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews